Well packer



Feb. l5, 1949.

lla

D. c. MARLER 2,461,650'

WELL PACKER Filed Aug. 14, 1944 e Patented Feb. 15, y1949 UNITED 'STATES 'ATENT yOFFICE WELL PACKER DunnC. MarlenvLake Charles, La.

Application August 14, 1944, Serial No. 549,425 y 'I' (o1. 16s-12) Y 1 Claim.

.This invention relates to a well packer.

An object of the invention is to provide a packer of the character described for forming a fluid tight seal between an louter pipe and an inner pipe ina well bore.

Another object of the invention is to provide lnovel means, including a tapering expander, for expanding the packing element so as to form a contact between the entire external area of the element and the outer pipe.

In a preferred form of the invention the packing element will be formed of a series of adjacent packing rings surrounding la tapering mandrel with means for holding the packing element stationary while the mandrel is forced downwardly to secure a uniform expansion of the packing element froml end vto end thereof.

It is another object of the invention to provide novel means for withdrawing the packer from the well if desired. Y

With the above and other objects'in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features .of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: Y Y I Y Figure l-shows a vertical. sectional viewof the vpacker showing the packing element collapsed; and

Figure 2 shows a cross, sectional View taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 and showing the parts in positon when the packing element is expanded.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the ligures, the numeral I designates a mandrel whose upper end is externally threaded to receive the safety cap 2 which is provided with the perforations 3 and with the inwardly extended annular flange 4.

The mandrel is also provided with an external downwardly facing shoulder 5 and beneath said shoulder with the external downwardly tapering portion 6 and the mandrel terminates at its lower end in the straight portion 'I.

Screwed onto the lower end of the mandrel there is the annular stop 8 which is provided with a plurality of ducts 9 for the free circulation of fluid therethrough.

Surrounding the mandrel beneath the shoulder 5 there is an expansible packing element which is preferably formed of a series of expansible packing rings I0. The outer surface of the packing element is approximately cylindrical and its inner surface is shaped to conform to the contour of the external surface of the mandrel.

There is a shell-like jaw expander II having a plurality oi external downwardly converging faces I2. There are preferably three of these faces I2 although a greater orless number may be provided. Sliclably mounted on these faces are the wedge shaped jaws I3 adapted, when expanded, to engage with the inside surface of the outer pipe I4.

The jaws are mounted to move on the faces I2 in any preferred manner. Preferably the expander lI is provided with the vertical slots I5 and the jaws have inward extensions I6 through said slots with retainerplates I'I bolted onto the inner ends of said extensions.

The numeral I8 designates the inner pipe. This pipe extends downwardly through the cap 2, the mandrel I, the stop 8 and the expander Ii and slidably mounted on the inner pipe beneath said expander there is the sleeve I9. The upper end of this sleeve is connected to the respective jaws I3 by the links 2li which are pivoted to the jaws and to said sleeve. Mounted on the sleeve I9 are the outwardly bowed wiper springs 2l which are in constant frictional engagement with the outer pipe I4.

The sleeve I9 has an inverted J -slot 22 whose upper end is overturned and formed with the notch 23 and the inner pipe I8 has an outwardly extended stud 26 which may be seated in said notch and which, when soseated, holds the sleeve I9 in its lower position on the inner pipe so as to maintain the jaws I3. in their lower position and thus retracted from the outer pipe.

The packer may be assembled and let down into the well as shown in Figure 1. As it is lowered the liquid in the well may freely flow up around the packer and may pass through the ducts 9 and up through the mandrel and out through the perforations 3. When the point has been reached at which it is desired to expand the packer the inner pipe I8 may be slightly elevated to unseat the stud 24 from the notch 23 and then turned to the right. The sleeve I9 will be held stationary by the springs 2| during this movement. The inner pipe I8 may then be lowered, the stud 24 moving along the slot 22.

The upper end of the mandrel I has an inside tapering seat 25 and the inner pipe I8 has an enlarged coupling 2B which is located above saidV pered lower end of the coupling 26 will land on I3 will be held against downward movement and will, therefore, be expanded, by said expander Vinto engagement with the outer pipe and this will stop the downward movement of the expander.

As clearly shown in the drawings the upper and lower ends of the jaw expander have the inwardly extended flanges l ia and l Ib the former of which surrounds the lower end of the mandrel I and the latter of which surrounds the inner pipe. The flange lla is located aboveY the stop 8 and the packing elementl rests on itso' that upon the further downward-movement of the inner pipe I8 the mandrel l will be moved on downwardly, the shoulder applying a compres# sive force to the packing element i0 andthe tapering portion E of the mandrel will apply an expansive force to said packing element thus forming a seal Vwith the outer pipe throughout the entire external area of the packing element.

Should it rbe desiredlto withdraw the packer from the well an upward pull may be takenv on the inner pipe i8 and upon upward movement thereof the coupling 2i will engage the lower end of the stop 8 and move the same, together with `the mandrel, upwardly thus relieving the expansion on the packing element and said stop will eventually engage the flange iV id and elevate the jaw expander thus releasing .the Vjaws i3 from the outer pipe so that the packer may 'be removed from the well. As the packer moves upwardly the liquid in the well can now freely through the perforations 3 and duct-s il thus relieving the load of the liquid column above.

The flange 4 of the cap 2 overhangs the upper end of the coupling 2d. In the event the inner pipe i8 should become broken-oir beneath the coupling 2E upon withdraw-al of said inner string said coupling 26 will engage the flange of the cap 2 and the packer may thus be withdrawn. This safety provision has'been made due to the fact that at the presentl time packers are often left in the` well due to breakage of the inner pipe.

The perforated cap 2 above and the' stop 8, with its ducts, beneath, form strainers to exclude detritus, and clogging material from the interior of the packer mechanism.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broad principle of the invention will he dened by the appended claim.

What I claim is: y

A packer adapted to form a seal between an outer pipe and an Yinner pipe in a well and comprising a tubular mandrel, an inner pipe section working through, and spaced from, the mandrel, a safety 4cap'on the'V upper end of the mandrel having an inwardly extended annular ange and having perforations, a stop on the lower end of the mandrel closely surrounding the, inner pipe `and having a duct therethrugm'spaced enlargements on said inner "pipe section spaced beneath said flange and stop, respectively, an expansible packer element around the mandrel, an yexpander slida'bly mounted on the mandrel below the packer element, an inner flange on the expander'engageable with the stop on the mandrel, jaws slidablyrmOllnted on the expander Iand eX- pansible into packer supporting engagement with theouter pipe upon Vdownward movement of the expander relative thereto and retractable from the outer :pipe upowupwardmovement of "the expander-relative thereto,l the 'upper enlargementon the innerpipe rbeinger'igagealcle with the upper? end lcnf/the mandrel, upon downward movement of the inner pipe and being shapedito close` the passagewaythrough them'andrel fand being effective to force the'niand'rel downwardly to apply a compressive force to thepacker element to expand the same into contact with the outer pipe when the jaws engage'the Vouter pipe in packer supporting engagement, the'lower en largement ieeing engageable" with said ystop to lift-the expander and retract the jaws upon upward movement of the inner pipe.

' Y f DUNN CJVIARLER.

REFERENCES (DICI-1.11.1 The fc-llowing 4references are Voff 'lieverd in the nie oi' vthis patenti UNITED STATES ATENTS Number N ame Date rzfiassl Maciel; Denier! 1,432,574 Crowell oet. i?, i922' 1,536,870 BCkel' Q :`May 5', 1,673,802 Crago June/19, 1928 2,933,564 Weils-etai. f r-. Mar. ic; 193e 2,058,103l PhppeLf -;--.crQ-O'Ct. 20, i936 

